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TUESDAY, April 30, 2013 — Secondhand smoke, already known to have a multitude of negative health effects, may be worse for girls than it is for boys, according to a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers at the University of Australia found that teenage girls exposed to secondhand smoke have lower levels of “good” HDL cholesterol than boys who were exposed. High levels of HDL cholesterol protect against heart disease — and another good reason for parents to quit smoking, experts said.

The researchers looked at 1,057 teenagers born in Australia between 1989 and 1992 and followed them from the time they were 18 weeks in the womb until they were 17 years old. Throughout that time, researchers tracked smoking in the kids' households and did blood tests to measure the participants cholesterol levels. Girls whose parents were smokers had lower levels of HDL cholesterol than daughters of non-smokers.

"Secondhand smoke did not have the same impact on teenage boys of the same age, which suggests passive smoking exposure may be more harmful to girls,” lead author Chi Le-Ha, MD, a researcher with the University of Western Australia, said in a statement.

"Considering cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women in the western world, this is a serious concern," she added.

Lower HDL could also affect more than just children's hearts, said Ismael Nuño, MD, professor of clinical cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Southern California.

"The findings indicate childhood passive smoke exposure may be a more significant cardiovascular risk factor for women than men," she said. "We need to redouble public health efforts to reduce young children's secondhand smoke exposure in the home, particularly girls' exposure."

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